The water-vapor self- and water-nitrogen continuum absorption in the 1000 and 2500 cm-1 atmospheric windows

Published

June 13, 2012

Author(s)

Yuri I. Baranov, Walter J. Lafferty

Abstract

The pure water-vapor and water-nitrogen continuum absorption in the 1000 and 2500 cm-1 atmospheric windows has been studied using a 2 m base-length White-type multipass cell coupled to a BOMEM DA3- 002 FTIR spectrometer. The measurements were carried out at NIST over the course of several years (2004, 2006-2007, 2009). New data on the H2O:N2 continuum in the 1000 cm-1 window are presented and summarized along with the other experimental results and the continuum model. The experimental data reported on the water-vapor continuum in these atmospheric windows basically agree with the most reliable laboratory data from the other sources. The MT_CKD continuum model significantly departs from the experimental data in both the these windows. The deviation observed includes the continuum magnitude, spectral behavior and temperature dependence. In the 4 μm region the model does not allow for the nitrogen fundamental collision induced absorption (CIA) band intensity enhancement caused by H2O:N2 collisions and strongly underestimates the actual absorption over two orders of magnitude. The water-vapor continuum interpretation as a typical CIA spectrum is reviewed and discussed.

Citation

Proceedings of the Royal Society A-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

Volume

370

Issue

1968

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

DOI Link

Keywords

Water-vapor continuum, atmospheric windows, laboratory measurements, continuum model.

Citation

Baranov, Y. and Lafferty, W. (2012), The water-vapor self- and water-nitrogen continuum absorption in the 1000 and 2500 cm-1 atmospheric windows, Proceedings of the Royal Society A-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, [online], https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2011.0234 (Accessed October 13, 2025)